Hungary

The European Parliament today adopted a resolution on the situation in Hungary, notably the proposed questionnaire on immigration and recent statements by Prime Minister Orban on reinstating the death penalty. Commenting after the vote, Greens/EFA vice-president Ulrike Lunacek said:

"There are clear and legitimate concerns about the recent statements and actions by Viktor Orban and his government and MEPs have today called for the EU not to simply look the other way. The shameful government-mandated survey on immigration and billboard campaign, combined with Orban's statements on reinstating the death penalty and the 'threat' of immigration, underline how far he has lurched from the common values which underpin membership of the European Union and to which Hungary signed up on joining the EU. The European Parliament has today delivered a clear rebuke and called for a more coherent follow-up from EU governments in Council.

"Fundamental rights continue to be flouted in Hungary and other EU member states, in spite of all EU members having signed up to these rights and values. This reveals the failure of the EU's own mechanisms for upholding these rights and this cannot be allowed to continue. The European Parliament has today called for the European Commission to propose a permanent legislative mechanism for ensuring fundamental rights and democratic norms are upheld by EU member states. 

"This mechanism must include measures to ensure compliance with the EU Treaties and the Charter of Fundamental Rights and should be accompanied by a proper monitoring and reporting system on a country by country basis, involving the EU's Fundamental Rights Agency. The European Parliament will now start work to prepare the ground for such a proposal. It is alarming that the EPP Group could not agree to the common cross-party resolution. For them the loyalty to Orbán from their party family is apparently still more important than the commitment to common European values."